Surgery Prep Recovery
Bowel Management After Fistula Surgery: What to Expect in the First Week
What to expect from bowel movements in the first week after fistula surgery. Stool softeners, diet, the first BM, and when to call your surgeon.
Adam G.
Fistula patient since 2022. Four surgeries, two setons, and one failed fistulotomy later, I built the recovery resource I wish had existed when I was diagnosed.
Surgery Prep Recovery
How to Sit, Stand, and Sleep After Fistula Surgery
How to sit, stand, sleep, and get around after fistula surgery. Practical positioning advice for fistulotomy, seton, and flap recovery.
Surgery Prep Recovery
What to Expect After Flap Surgery for a Fistula (From Someone About to Have One)
What to Expect After Flap Surgery for a Fistula | Rear View Recovery Meta description: Advancement flap surgery is on my calendar. Here's what the research and other patients say about recovery, success rates, and the stuff surgeons gloss over
Long Term Management
The Hygiene Protocol: Keeping Clean with a Seton (Without Losing Your Mind)
Managing hygiene with a seton is a daily commitment nobody prepares you for. Here's the exact routine: sitz baths, gauze changes, and keeping the wire clean, from someone who's done it twice.
Surgery Prep Recovery
The Surgery Prep Checklist Nobody Gives You
Everything your surgeon forgot to tell you to buy, arrange, and set up before fistula surgery. The prep list that actually matters.
Long Term Management
The Mental Health Side of Fistula Recovery (Nobody Talks About This Part)
The physical stuff is hard. The head stuff is harder.
Just Diagnosed
Fistula Types Explained in Plain English
Your surgeon used a word you've never heard before. Maybe it was "intersphincteric" or "transsphincteric." Maybe they said "complex" and moved on before you could ask what that meant. Here's what it all actually means. Important: This content reflects personal
Just Diagnosed
Your First Week After Fistula Surgery: What to Actually Expect
You made it through the procedure. Now you're home, probably more uncomfortable than you expected, wondering if what you're feeling is normal.
Surgery Prep Recovery
5 Things I Wish I'd Known Before My Fistulotomy
Nobody hands you a real prep guide before a fistulotomy. Here are 5 things patients wish they'd known going in — before the surgery, not after.
Just Diagnosed
How to Explain Your Surgery to People Without Explaining Your Surgery
Here's exactly what to say to your boss, your friends, and the coworker who won't stop asking questions.
Long Term Management
Living with a Seton: The Long Game
A seton isn't a quick fix. It's a months-long commitment that nobody fully prepares you for. Here's how to manage daily life, hygiene, exercise, work, and your sanity while you wait it out.
Just Diagnosed
You Just Got Diagnosed with an Anorectal Fistula: Now What?
You just heard the word "fistula" for the first time. Here's what it actually means, what happens next, and the two things you need to do before anything else.